Of Matter and Spirit

Houndstooth's most striking new signing commits a strong debut LP under her birthname, Aïsha Devi, with the 4th world techno-folk interzone, 'Of Matter and Spirit'. In pursuit of a more personal, borderless sound drawing upon her unique Swiss-Tibetan roots, Aïsha has consistently wowed us over the last few years with a pair of 12"s for her own Danse Noire label, beside a pair of choice linx with Italian new wave stars Vaghe Stelle and Dave Saved for Gang of Ducks. 'Of Matter and Spirit' dilates the ideas of those 12"s and remixes with unswerving vision to shape bold new electronic dimensions bridging the temporal and spatial gaps between T C F's deep trance topographies, the bittersweet dance-pop of Grimes, and Katie Gately's scything sound designs. Her oxygen-depleted, helium-effected free-soprano pulls remarkably controlled acrobatics over lustrous synths and birds-eye-viewed beats, just as heard in the highlights of her 'Conscious C*nt' single, included in its entriety alongside seven new pieces. Of those, we're smitten with the Professional Widow-breakdown styled vocal ohrwurm of 'Mazdâ', and relish the mental flashcore roil of 'Numen J' and '1%', but the album's highlights are arguably saved for the giddy post-rave-pop piece, 'Anatomy of Light' and the keening discord and electronically possessed chorales of 'O.M.A.'. Much more of this, please. [Review: Boomkat.com]